Symantec Acquires Appthority, Javelin Networks

Symantec on Monday announced the acquisition of mobile application security firm Appthority and Active Directory protection company Javelin Networks.

With the acquisition of Appthority, Symantec wants to provide customers the technology needed to analyze mobile applications for malicious capabilities and unwanted behavior, including vulnerabilities, exposure of sensitive data, and privacy risks.

According to Symantec, the technology obtained from Appthority will be built into Symantec Endpoint Protection Mobile (SEP Mobile), which the security firm launched following the acquisition of Skycure last year.

Appthority was a Symantec Ventures portfolio company before the acquisition. The mobile security firm’s employees and technology have now become part of Symantec’s endpoint security business.

“Mobile apps are a critical threat vector that every company must address to protect their enterprise security,” said Adi Sharabani, Sr. Vice President for Modern OS Security at Symantec. “The Appthority technology extends SEP Mobile’s capabilities in limiting unwanted app behaviors, supporting regulatory compliance, and assessing vulnerabilities.”

Employees and technology of Javelin Networks have also joined Symantec’s endpoint security business.

Eduard Kovacs (@EduardKovacs) is a contributing editor at SecurityWeek. He worked as a high school IT teacher for two years before starting a career in journalism as Softpedia’s security news reporter. Eduard holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial informatics and a master’s degree in computer techniques applied in electrical engineering.